If Things Had Been Different
by NaturallyDark
Summary: One is a sableye – more precisely, one of the six sableye who serve Dusknoir. He and the others are in charge of setting a trap for Grovyle by capturing Celebi, but One is curious about her. If their past was going to be rewritten, anyways, he might as well have one first – and last – conversation with her. A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DarkenedLightShipping oneshot.


**I've had this fic lying around for some time, so I thought I might as well upload it. It made me sad that the only time I ever saw a ship with Celebi and a sableye (given the name DarkenedLightShipping), it was an anti-ship. Thus, I decided to write this! As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

Celebi floated about the clearing idly, prodding at frozen leaves and humming to herself. Ideas about what she could possibly be thinking about floated through Sableye's mind. Maybe she was dumb? Perhaps she had absolutely nothing to do and this was how she passed the time? Sableye shifted his weight from foot to foot, squinting at her through the branches of the bush he was hidden in.

Maybe she didn't realize that Grovyle had dragged Dusknoir back into the future and that time wasn't going to resume after all, and was still waiting for the end. Or maybe she had already seen the odd, small rock approaching her bit by bit and was preparing for the eventual attack.

It was a fascinating thing to watch as Spiritomb burst from the stone, laughing like a maniac, and shoot into Celebi's body. She was forced to the ground against her will and, crying out in protest and pain, was dragged away.

"Wheh-heh-heh," came a soft chuckle. Sableye glanced back to see one of the other two sableye creeping towards him. "Lookat that! He took control of her body with no problem! I don't see why Master Dusknoir even had us watch the guy!"

Suddenly, the third sableye shot out of the bushes and struck out at Spiritomb with a dark type attack.

"We're sorry! We're sorry!" squealed Spiritomb, flinching away from the attacks. "I assure you, we'll not try to escape again!"

Sableye glanced at his friend, then the two crept out of their hiding place as well.

"You two!" snapped the sableye, shooting them both death glares. "If I hadn't jumped out, this guy'd have run off! And then what would we tell Master Dusknoir? Grovyle'd know it was a trap!"

Sableye looked away in embarrassment, then glanced at Celebi. Her eyes were open and furious and he quickly looked away again.

"One, are you even listening to me?!"

"Yes, Six," One replied instantly. "S-sorry!"

Six growled something under his breath, then headed the march away. Spiritomb followed him warily, looking from side to side in terror, as if afraid that Dusknoir himself would appear to destroy him for any wrong move. Celebi still looked hostile, and at the entrance to Dusk Forest, she began yelling at them, each word covered in hatred. One figured that she was hoping to catch the attention of someone, but nobody was around to hear her.

Eventually, they reached the end of the Hidden Land, a particular place guarded by a couple of porygons.

"Hey!" Six yelled at them. The porygons looked startled and rushed over to them.

"Er, yes?" one of them asked nervously.

"You know what I want," Six growled. "Take us to Frozen Island. And if Dusknoir passes through, do not take him there if he so pleases. Think you can handle that?"

The porygons looked at each other in confusion but, after a moment's hesitation, nodded and used their powers to teleport them. When they had reappeared on Frozen Island, One felt himself shiver. Wind hadn't swirled around these frozen mountains for centuries, but there still was a chill in the air.

"Come on, One, Three," Six said, beckoning with an arm. "Let's make sure this fool gets Celebi to the right spot."

* * *

Waiting had to be the worst part. One crouched behind a frost-covered boulder, waiting for Dusknoir and Grovyle to arrive, as they were supposed to. But there must have been some sort of complication, as it seemed like they were taking forever.

Standing up and stretching out, One carefully walked around the boulder and inched towards Celebi. She was slumped over with her eyes closed and she appeared to be asleep.

"One! What are you doing?" One heard Three hiss at him. He waved a hand at him dismissively, then crept forwards again.

Suddenly, Celebi's eyes opened and she fixed a steely glare on him.

"Yeek!" One yelped, hopping back.

"What do you want?" asked Celebi. "Want to tear off my wings and make them into a cute little crown for yourself?"

One recoiled, then took a step forwards slowly. "I'm just bored, that's all. Wheh-heh-heh..."

Celebi glared at him a moment longer before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. "I don't know what you're up to, but it's not going to work. Those two kids, the explorers, they're going to succeed. They'll change things in the past, and this future will change. They'll do it, even without Grovyle's help."

One sat himself down next to Celebi, though he could see Three beckoning with an arm for One to come away. "Did Six tell you about how Grovyle and Dusknoir are back here?"

Celebi replied, "Six? That rude sableye? Yeah. And apparently, you're not allied with Dusknoir anymore?"

"Wheh-heh-heh... No, not anymore," One lied. "There's a new henchman, and we're to answer to him." Even though Celebi was the enemy, he felt bad for lying to her. But if what she was saying was right, and the present was going to change, she would disappear, anyways. It wouldn't matter that he'd lied.

"Then Dusknoir and Grovyle both will stop you," she said, her voice taking on a hostile edge. "Grovyle won't let you get away with whatever you're plotting."

"Maybe." One didn't see how Grovyle would be able to see through the plot. Celebi had to have a lot of faith in Grovyle to think that. "Is Grovyle your lover?"

Celebi's eyes went wide and she attempted to shake her head before remembering she still couldn't move. "Oh, no, it's not like that at all! I mean, we're close and all, but nothing more than friends!" She paused, then looked away. "I...I do like him a lot, though. But he's said that a relationship would be pointless and would only making the parting more difficult...and I guess he's right."

One stared at her, feeling as though his throat were paralyzed. He'd had a faint idea that there might be something between the two, but never that it was anything like this. He unconsciously clasped his hands together, then took in a deep breath of cold air.

"He's wrong." Celebi gave him an odd look, but One went on. "If it's the end of your existence, wouldn't it be happier to spend your last moments with someone you really liked? I've never gotten to be in a relationship, but that's what I would want if I had to disappear. If that's how he thinks, then you deserve better."

Tears gathered at the corners of Celebi's eyes, but she couldn't reach up a hand to wipe them away. "Yeah. I'd...never thought of it that way. Y'know..." She managed a small smile. "Compared to those other sableye, you're not so bad."

One felt his face become warm. "Thanks...wheh-heh-heh..." Carefully, he reached out a hand and wiped away her tears. "Maybe...if things had been different, we could've – "

"Hey! One!" One turned sharply to see Six glaring at him. "They're coming!" Six hissed. "Get back into hiding! They're coming!"

One looked back at Celebi, who just looked at him sadly, then he dashed away to watch the plan unfold with a heavy heart.


End file.
